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Originally published June 15,2001 THE GREAT GOLD HEISTThe Desert Wilderness Protection Act by Karen Lee Bixman Published in: Media ByPass Magazine (1-800-4-bypass) Senator Diane Feinstein: "The Modern Jesse James" Congress should be convening a criminal investigation. On October 8, 1994, the biggest gold heist in history occurred, but this theft lacked the melodrama of a Jesse James' holdup or the excitement of a Brink's truck robbery. Nary a word was reported by the media even though this thievery was committed in the light of day. The citizens that were being robbed tried to cry out for help but the lawmen...

<p>When it comes to scoring mega-military-related contracts, Sen. Dianne Feinstein's multimillionaire husband, Richard Blum, is right in the thick of things.</p> <p>First up: a contract announced last week between the Army and URS Corp., the San Francisco planning and engineering company that specializes in defense work -- and that happens to be partly owned by Blum's investment firm.</p>

<p>URS Corp., a San Francisco planning and engineering firm partially owned by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein's husband, landed an Army contract Monday worth up to $600 million.</p> <p>The award to help with troop mobilization, weapons systems training and anti-terrorism efforts is the latest in a string of plum defense jobs snared by URS. In February, the firm won an army engineering and logistics contract that could bring in $3.1 billion during the next eight years.</p>

San Francisco, July 29 (Bloomberg) -- For three years, Richard Blum watched the Internet bubble grow from the balcony of his fourth-floor office, where Buddhist prayer flags rustle in the breeze from San Francisco Bay. His 27-year-old investment firm, Blum Capital Partners LP, avoided soaring technology stocks. ... Blum counts as friends Chinese President Jiang Zemin and the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader whom the Chinese government terms a dissident. ... Blum's 22-year marriage to Feinstein has brought charges of conflicts of interest. When Feinstein ran for reelection in October 2000, she backed improved trade relations with China. ......

<p>Sacramento -- Gov. Gray Davis yesterday appointed San Francisco financier Richard Blum, husband of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, to the University of California Board of Regents.</p> <p>Blum, 66, is a wealthy investor who has been involved in ventures as diverse as Northwest Airlines and trading companies in China. Some of Blum's business dealings have long been a sticky subject for Feinstein.</p>